The Landscape Architecture Program offers three tracks for pursuing a Master of Landscape Architecture degree (MLA), depending on the student's academic and professional experience. All students completing a MLA program at Virginia Tech will have met the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board's (LAAB) requirements of a professional degree program. The tracks include:
A PhD track in Landscape Architecture is offered through the School of Architecture + Design's PhD in Architecture and Design Research (ADR).
The three-year first-professional Master of Landscape Architecture track is designed for individuals who have completed a bachelor's degree in a field other than landscape architecture. The program offers a design studio-based curriculum integrating three focal areas central to practice of landscape architecture into the future: people and place, community engagement, and design for resilience, Emphasis is given to developing mastery of landscape architectural design through a series of design studios and a final design thesis that investigate challenges to the built environment across a range of scales from sites to regions.
Individuals are admitted on a competitive basis. Applicants, who have completed a baccalaureate degree or its equivalent, are eligible for admission. Applications are reviewed by a faculty committee and evaluated on the basis of previous academic performance, relevant experience, statement of interest, and evidence of potential to successfully pursue graduate-level work in landscape architecture. Our students have varied educational backgrounds and experience. College-level courses in the natural sciences, ecology, urban and regional planning, and the visual arts (e.g., drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and/or basic design) are recommended although not required.
Applicants with previous education in design, an undergraduate degree in architecture or another closely related field, or who have substantial equivalent coursework in landscape architecture, environmental design or landscape design may be eligible for admission with advanced standing, subject to the review of the admissions committee. A transcript, coursework and portfolio review will be conducted for applicants seeking advanced standing. Interested persons are encouraged to contact the program.
Admitted degree candidates will be recommended for the Master of Landscape Architecture professional degree upon satisfactory completion of 75 credit hours (typically 25 credits hours of Foundation Studies plus 50 credit hours of MLA Studies) including a design thesis. Foundation Studies prepare students to perform at the graduate level and include introductory course work in history, theory, design, technique, and natural systems. Some coursework may be waived for previous experience or content covered in undergraduate studies. MLA studies include a sequence of required studios, core coursework, and directed electives. Directed electives support the development of a student’s desired area of mastery, and may be taken from areas of study offered across the university. Graduate Studies culminate with a design thesis directed by a major professor. See: 3-year First-professional MLA track.
The advanced placement MLA track is tailored for students who already hold an accredited first professional-degree in landscape architecture, architecture or another closely related field. Students may receive up to a year of advanced standing (essentially the 25 credits of Foundation Studies). This MLA degree track is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and to advancing an understanding of landscape architecture within four areas: community engaged design, design for resiliency, people and place, and design learning and education. Applicants are asked to specify their area of research interest upon application.
Each student in the advanced MLA program works in consultation with a major professor to craft an individualized graduate plan of study within a specific area of focused research. The plan of study includes both general landscape architecture courses and coursework pertaining to an area of research focus. The graduate plan of study typically includes at least 50 credit hours. Nine of these hours are devoted to a capstone thesis that addresses a specific issue or question within the student's selected area of focused research. Students from a related field must also complete additional coursework necessary to fulfill any remaining requirements for a professional MLA degree. A transcript, coursework and portfolio review will be conducted to identify necessary coursework. See: Advanced Placement track Masters of Landscape Architecture
The 1 Year Plus Thesis MLA is an accelerated degree designed for students who have both a professional degree in landscape architecture or a closely related field and considerable practical experience. The program is designed to allow seasoned practitioners an opportunity to earn an advanced degree by completing focused studies and a thesis in an individually tailored program. See: 1year + thesis Masters of Landscape Architecture Track.
Dual Degree Programs: MLA students may pursue a simultaneous master degree in Urban and Regional Planning (MLA/MURP). The dual degree programs coordinate course requirements in both fields, assuring the integrity of each while also saving time and cost to the student. Dual degree students must be admitted to both programs following the admissions procedures in each. Students may apply for admission to both programs before enrolling in either, or they may apply after first being admitted to and enrolling in one program. In the latter case, application to the second program should be made before half the coursework in the first has been completed.
The MLA/MURP Dual Degree Program recognizes the fundamental linkage between planning and design of the natural environment as impacted by humans. This program shares electives and/or the substitution of significantly relevant courses from each field. Individualized plans of study for students seeking simultaneous degrees are based upon student backgrounds and needs. A capstone product is required of each program. The capstone product may bridge the fields of each degree.
Off Campus Studies: MLA students may elect to participate in the Landscape Architecture Program's Summer Education Abroad Program or in university exchange programs offering landscape architecture coursework. Off-campus coursework will be reflected in the student's individual Program of Study and must receive prior approval from their major professor.
